Two Months of Paradise
by Serum Patfey
Summary: -"So that, when my mother died, and I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought! And then, of course, he came." - Albus Dumbledore, DH.
1. Prologue

_Notes: This is the story of Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore; two young men, plotting, a spectacular friendship, a tradic family and maybe even some bittersweet romance. I'm going to write as close to the truth as possible, that means Albus is going to fall in love. I may change a little though, when it comes to Gellert; is he going to answer Albus feelings? Every other chapter is from either Albus or Gellert's point of view._

_Many thanks to my lovely friend and beta Emelle (arwenjanelilylyra)._

_Disclaimer: The Harry Potter-world is the property of J.K Rowling, I'm just writing down what she missed.  
_

**Two Months of Paradise**

**_Prologue_**

_(Albus)_

I carefully sat down on the unstable wooden fence. Ariana had finally fallen asleep, and I was allowing myself some rest. Being a talented eighteen year-old wizard in Godric's Hollow, _and_ the head of the family wasn't something easy. I woke up, made breakfast for Ariana and Aberforth, cleaned the house, and talked to the neighbours. Sometimes I wrote some articles to the Daily Prophet and so on.

A waste of talent, some might say. But I had no choice, my mother had died and I had to take care of my family – or what was left of it.

Today was a Wednesday, in the middle June; it was unnaturally hot and I had finished all my chores for today. I knew there was a river nearby, just a few hundred meters away from the graveyard.

"Hey Ab, I'm going down to the river, want to join?"

Aberforth was playing with something that looked suspiciously like a Muggle Football. My brother didn't even look up at me as he shook his head. He was always such a strange boy; not sociable, or smart, or even talented. Preferring to be alone than with friends. I simply shrugged and started heading for the river.

As I arrived there, I found a beautiful vision set out front of me. The sun reflected on the water, and the green grass was filled with crimson and gold flowers. There was a meter of shore cutting of the water from the grass, and I could hear several woodpeckers in the trees surrounding the glade.

And the water. It was so clear that I could see small fish swimming around, and when I bent over the river I could see my own reflection. Intense blue eyes stared back at me, the slightly maroon hair with strands of auburn waving a little in the wind. I could even see the small freckles on my nose.

I lay down on the soft grass, closing my eyes so I wasn't dazzled by the sun. It smelled like summer. And freedom. I thought back to those summers with Elphias. We always spend the lazy afternoons by the black lake, doing homework or just talking. I smiled a little to myself. Those were the days. Missing school maybe wouldn't be a problem if my mother had been alive. Then I could have gone away on the round-the-world trip with Elphias.

All the time lying there, I didn't notice someone watching me.

_(Gellert)_

When I awoke, I didn't even have time to fully open my eyes, before I had to shut them again. The dazzling light streamed through the window, feeling the intense heat upon my face. I threw off my cover and sat up in my bed. I heard the sound of my Great Aunt Bathilda working in the kitchen and could smell scent of fried bacon, making me stand up, tugging a black T-shirt on that matched my blue checked pyjama bottoms.

I may have lived here now, but that didn't mean I could run around the house half naked.

"Good morning, Gellert. Want some breakfast?" Aunt Bathilda said, smiling at me. I nodded to her and sat down by the little wooden table, attacking the eggs and bacon. A large clock on the wall showed me that it was nearly eleven.

I hadn't had the chance to explore the area until now. I had only arrived last night and by then it was too dark, so I let Bathilda take care of my plate and rushed up to my room.

I stared into the mirror, only to find that my blonde hair was standing out in every direction, the thick locks hanging down, hiding some of my dark blue eyes. I started changing my clothes to a pair of black breeches, a white shirt, grey knee-socks and black braces. My hair only needed some water and then, done.

Practically running down the stairs, I said goodbye to Bathilda, and rushed out of the front door, the light of the sun shining on my face – perfect day for exploring.

Within only a few minutes I was entering the graveyard, my eyes looking for a particular stone tablet. That was the true reason why I had come to Godric's Hollow actually: I needed to know more about the Deathly Hallows. There were suspicions everywhere that Ignotus Peverell – his grave having been placed here – was one of the Three Brothers.

After being expelled from Durmstrang, I knew immediately what I wanted to do. After all, I had carved the mark of the Deathly Hallows into walls of the school.

They were my obsession.

But after realizing that there were over one hundred tomb-stones, and due to the fact it was really hot outside, I gave up my searching. Maybe I could try another day, because right now, I just needed a cold bath or something similar. I thought I could hear a rustling somewhere close and entered the forest to investigate it further.

After walking for a couple of minutes, I entered a vast glade. It was beautiful to say the least; glittering water, green grass, flowers, sand and even some butterflies.

But I wasn't alone.


	2. The Meeting

_A/N: Be nice and leave a review? I don't care if it's a flame or something similiar, just tell me what you think. Just click on the "Review this Chapter"-button instead of the backwards-button :) Thanks._

_**Chaper 1: The Meeting**_

I jumped, opening my eyes as I heard a voice nearby.

"Are you awake?" said a boy with deep blue eyes, blond locks and a smug smile on his face. I sat up in the grass and the boy sat down beside me, crossing his legs and loosely laying his arms on his legs. He closed his eyes, letting the sun take over his lovely face and I smiled. It truly was a beautiful sight.

"I'm Albus," I said and offered a hand to the boy who opened his eyes again, "Albus Dumbledore."

"Gellert Grindelwald," the boy said and shook my hand. He flashed me a smile and I nearly melted. A boy shouldn't have such perfect teeth. A _human_ shouldn't even have such a beautiful white smile. I tried to smile back in the same way, but I couldn't help but feel that I was failing miserably when I had to squint, because the sun was in my face.

"What are you doing here in Godric's Hollow? I've never seen you here before." I asked, hoping I didn't sound rude.

"Business." Gellert said shortly and lay down on the grass. I followed suit.

"Business? Really? Aren't you a bit young for that?" Geller stifled a laugh.

"You can never be too young for business. And I came here last night; I'm living with my Great Aunt Bathilda Bagshot."

"Mrs Bagshot? She lives right next to us! I didn't even know she had any relatives living here in Britain." I was excited by the thought of a new neighbour, especially if the neighbour was the same age as me.

"Oh, I'm not from Britain, I'm from the north." I gave him a confused look. "I went to Durmstrang you see, but I'm actually from Britain – my mother is British and my father is from Sweden – I moved as a little child."

Durmstrang, eh? A wizard then. I nodded at him, silently encouraging him to go on.

"Now my father is dead, and my mother can't stand me." Gellert continued and I gasped. How could a mother abandon a child? I felt a sting in my chest at the thought of my own, now deceased, mother. The question was about to be answered so I kept quiet.

"You see, I didn't go through my last year at Durmstrang because I was expelled – Dark Arts." he said before I could ask. "Then I went home to my mother, currently living in Sweden, but after almost a year of me experimenting she sent me away from the house. So I came here to live with my only relative, Bathilda." I wasn't dumb – actually, I was anything but dumb; I was a very clever boy, winning all the prizes and competitions, both with my knowledge and powerful magic – but this, I just couldn't understand.

"But why did you get expelled? I've heard that Dark Arts are permitted at Durmstrang?" I asked.

I had heard a lot of things about Durmstrang over the years, one thing was that they didn't allow Muggleborns, and another one was that all the students over there liked the Dark Arts. I wasn't too comfortable with the fact that Gellert was a dark wizard, but maybe he just did it out of curiosity. Maybe he wasn't evil.

"I was…crossing the line, if I can put it like that." Gellert said and sat up again.

"Oh."

"How about you then, Albus?" I almost forgot the question as Gellert voiced my name for the first time. It really sounded more beautiful than it ever had. I sat up too and looked at Gellert, fascinated by the fact that Gellert's blonde hair seemed to _glow_ in the sunlight.

"Me?" I finally said as I was done studying the pretty locks.

"Yeah you, do you see anyone other here named Albus?" Gellert said and chuckled. I felt myself blush.

"Well, I live near to Mrs Bagshot with my brother." I've learned not to mention my little sister, "As you already seem to know, I'm a wizard and recently I finished my last year at Hogwarts. My father died in Azkaban and my mother died just a few months ago." Gellert laid a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"You said you're name was Dumbledore? I've actually heard of you. You won some prize?" Gellert asked and smiled a little. I immediately lit up.

"Which one? I've won lots of prizes. I could show you if you want." I babbled before realizing that then Gellert had to know about my sister first, or there would be some confusion. To my relief, Gellert said "Later?" and I nodded.

"It's a too beautiful day to waste." Gellert said and the arm around my shoulders disappeared. "So, why not take a bath?" I didn't have time to protest – maybe I didn't want to – before I was dragged up by a hand. Gellert grinned at me before taking of his shirt.

I really couldn't help but stare at the other boy's torso. It wasn't well trained, but it wasn't thin either. Just in the middle. His skin was pale and I could barely distinguish small blond hairs surrounding the other boy's belly button. But when I turned his gaze upwards, I saw that Gellert had noticed me staring. I flushed and bent over the water, feeling if the water was cold.

I had barely touched the water-surface before I was fully under water.

The river wasn't deep, just deep enough for me to touch the bottom with my toes. It wasn't that cold either. I was still confused as to why I was in the water, but as I swam to the shoreline, I looked up at Gellert and saw a smirk on the boy's face.

I wasn't so far away from him, so I took a steady grip around Gellert's wrist and pulled him down in the water. We both laughed as we splashed at each other and I really forgot the time after a while – no, not because Gellert's torso looked wonderful with water and sunlight on it – it was because that I finally had found someone like myself to spend my summer with.

After holding Gellert under the water for the fifth time we emerged from the water, allowing the sun to dry us a little before we started going back towards civilization.

Small pine needles stung in my feet since I had taken off my wet shoes. Gellert, on the other hand, had dry clothes since he'd left his clothes upon the land. The blonde boy smirked a little at the sight of a wet me, and I blushed. I seemed to blush all the time now.

I felt very shabby; wet and blushing and just wished that I had my wand, so I could quicken the speed of my drying. I blushed even more when Gellert had to run a little to walk at the same pace as myself, and even more so when our hands accidentally touched. Finally though, we stopped in front of Mrs Bagshot's house, and an awkward silence formed between us.

"I'll see you around" I said and winked a little with my eye, trying to play cool. Gellert didn't seem to notice though; he was busy with glaring at a passing-by Muggle with hate dominating his dark stormy eyes.

When no answer came, I turned around and started walking towards my house on the other side of the street. Only then it seemed to hit Gellert that I had said something because I could feel a hand on my wrist, turning me around to face Gellert again. The blonde boy still had that hate in his eyes though. It frightened me.

"Those filthy Muggles. They shouldn't be allowed here in Godric's Hollow. It's the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor for Merlin's sake." he said and I was surprised.

"You like Gryffindor? I would have thought you were more of a Slytherin actually."

"I am, but Godric Gryffindor was a powerful wizard. In any case, rather a Gryffindor then a Hufflepuff," he said and winked at me.

He sat down on the fence beside gate of the garden. I did the same, my arse hurting. I let go of the fence with my hands to fix my still flyaway hair, but as soon as my fingers left the wood I toppled backwards. I landed on the soft grass and could hear Gellert laugh hysterically in the background. I grunted and tried to get up but unfortunately I was lying in a position that made the motion impossible.

I felt my face grow warm as I lay there and listened to Gellert laughing at me. This really wasn't how you were supposed to impress your new neighbour. But then Gellert sat down on his knees beside me, taking a steady grip on my back and his other hand under my knees. To my embarrassment and dismay, he lifted me up bridal-style. This really was one of my most embarrassing moments of my life; including when Headmaster Black gave me detention in front of the whole school.

Even though I nearly died of shame by being held, I liked the smell of Gellert, and the way his hands touched me.

Merlin, did I just think that?

Gellert smirked at me as he let me down on the ground. My face was still warm and I tried to smooth it out by complaining that it was hot outside. He just chuckled. Eventually though, I left for home, only to find a furious Aberforth glaring at me when I returned.

"Where do you think you've been?" Even though he was only fifteen he sounded like he was years older than me.

"None of your business, but if you have to know, I have befriended our new neighbour Gellert Grindelwald. He lives just next to us, in Mrs Bagshot's house! He's just a few years younger than me and -" I was cut off as Aberforth took a few steps closer, his teeth clenching aggressively.

"While you were out with your _little friend_, Ariana had one of her attacks. Fortunately I was here to calm her. But what if I wasn't? She could have blown up the whole house! You're the one responsible for her, and you know it! Mother is gone and it's all your fault!" Aberforth screamed in my face and I wanted to fight back, but I knew he was right. Aberforth had had some aggression-problems ever since our father was locked up in Azkaban, and I knew how to handle it.

I sighed and lay a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I forgot."

"You _forgot?_" he said, still angry but a little calmer than before. "You mean that you forgot your family? Your _responsibility_? This isn't one of your little competitions where you can win prizes! You've got to wake up Albus! This is our family you're dealing with. In two years I'm 17 and then I'm going to move the hell out of here, and I'm going to take Ariana with me, but until then, it's your fault if anything happens to her!" Aberforth's face was red with anger, and his voice still rang in my ears, even once he had left the room.

"Albus?"

A girl stood in the doorway. She was almost as tall as Aberforth; she had blonde hair and blue eyes, with that special twinkle in her eyes that I knew that our father, Aberforth and myself had. She was a very pretty girl, my sister, but no one saw her except myself, Aberforth and Bathilda. I couldn't help but think that maybe Gellert could see her too.

He would understand.

"What were you fighting about?" she said as I embraced her. I could remember those time when I had to kneel to hug her, now she was almost 14 and very tall for her age. I kissed her on the forehead.

"Nothing you need to worry about, darling." I whispered in her ear. I knew she preferred whispering, it was calming to her. As I stroked the back of her hair, she started giggling as I was making circles on her back with my fingers. I smiled at her and offered a hand, which she took. Even though she was thirteen she truly was still a little girl.

I lead her down to the cellar and made sure she went to bed. She kissed me on the cheek before I said goodnight and retreated upstairs again. No one slept, or even went in there – in my mother's old bedroom. Even though it would be closer to Ariana by sleeping down at the middle floor, both Aberforth and I slept on the second floor. But I knew Aberforth would sometimes sneak down the stairs so that he could watch over her as she slept.

I knew that I could have been a better brother, but Ariana just felt so…distant. And it didn't matter how hard I tried, she still liked Aberforth more.

As I lay in my bed and stared up the ceiling, I heard something tapping on the window. I threw back my covers and opened it; there, on the window-frame, was a small yet beautiful grey owl. It stared at me with large hazel eyes. Then I noticed it carried a letter and I became curious; who wouldn't be? Getting letters in the middle of the night wasn't something that occurred on a day to day basis.

Maybe it was from the Daily Prophet, asking about an article, or the Ministry of Magic. Instead of guessing I decided to open the letter. The owl didn't fly away when I took the paper from it, so it was obviously waiting for a reply.

When I unfolded it, a big smile stretched across my face.

_Albus,_

_Are you awake?_

_Your neighbour,_

_Gellert_

I scratched down a 'yes' and asked what the hurry was. The grey owl eagerly took it and flew away, but I didn't need to wait long for an answer.

_I'm going to conquer the world. Interested?_


	3. The Persuasion

_A/N: Okay, so this chapter is posted earlier in the honour of the Voldemort Defeat Day! Yay! And about the last chapter, I know Gellert isn't from Sweden, but Durmstrang is either in Russia, Norway or Sweden, and obviously Sweden is the best country xD (No offence!)_

**_The Persuasion_**

I stared down at the parchment in my hands, and smirked.

_Elaborate?_

Oh yes, this was definitely going somewhere. I just needed Albus on my side; I was ready to give everything. He probably knew where the tombstone of Ignotus Peverell resided and great deal of information about the old family. He was as smart and talented as I, and I could sense that his magical aura was much more powerful than many other wizards I had met. All he needed was a little persuading, which I would gladly grant him. After all, who could resist worldwide domination? I scratched down an answer.

_I'll tell you tomorrow. The river at half past ten?_

I received a hasty 'yes', before I lay upon my bed, and fell to sleep.

* * *

"You're late." I said, as Albus sat down beside me on the grass.

"Well, my brother was just babbling about that I needed to take care of Ariana and-"

"Who's Ariana?" I saw that Albus bit his lip, so it must have been someone important. He didn't answer, and instead he stared at the water with empty eyes. I dismissed his actions; it was time to do some work.

"Albus, have you ever realised that the world is wrong in several ways?" I enquired, and Albus looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see that the world is slowly crashing down? It needs a leader. In our case, it needs two. We are wizards for some reason, and I think we should take advantage of that, and turn the world into something beautiful. They _need _us. _They're_ just insignificant Muggles, and they want us to make the world right for them." I paused, inhaling steadily. "Both you and I are powerful, and we could easily show them what they really are. Filth. They are only making the world worse, and they know it. They're just waiting for someone to come and rule over them. Don't you see that it's the only way out to save the world?"

When I stopped Albus face had gone blank.

I was scared now.

What if he didn't like the idea?

"So, what do you think?" I asked, trying to smile. Albus face suddenly went into a sour expression, and I continued while I had the chance. "We are the best, you and I. You want to do something with your life, and this is it. We can rule the world, and you can get _everything_ you want. " Albus eyes were wide with enthusiasm now. I smiled again.

"Everything?" his voice cracked a little.

"Everything." Then he smiled. A real smile, full of happiness – the corners of his lips forming something quite beautiful. It was just a smile, but it still made me want to implode of relief.

"Then tell me more." he said and I started explaining all my thoughts in regards to the Muggles and Mudbloods: how they should be treated. And then how powerful we would be. I knew Albus liked that, the thought of power. I smirked as he walked back to his house to make lunch for his brother. But I still wanted to know who that Ariana was. No, I _needed_ to know. The curiosity was killing me.

* * *

Still though, I had to wait until he came back to the river until I could ask, but as soon as he arrived, he didn't sit down like before. Instead, he took off his clothes and jumped into the river. I did the same, and slowly stepped into the cold water. It wasn't as warm as yesterday, but still warm enough to bathe in.

Albus swam around and I took a discreet look at his body. After all, I know he had stared at mine. It looked a little like mine, but still not the quite equal. He had no muscles, and I could see his ribs very clearly. His slightly auburn hair was wet and pasted on his forehead, and those eyes…I couldn't really describe them, but they were an intense blue, so blue that it's hard to look away. They contained this little magical twinkle that I was very fond of. It felt like he could see right through me.

I wasn't used to this, relying on someone other than myself. I was dragged out of my thoughts as a hand pushed me under the water, and water streamed down my throat. As I was above the water-surface again a few moments later, I saw a big smirk on Albus' face and decided that I needed revenge.

I took a steady grip on his shoulders and pushed him down in the water. What I didn't expect though, was that he would drag me down too. Soon we were both under water, clinging to each other with our lives as both wanted to win. Air was forgotten as I pushed him deeper, only to find myself further down instead.

I opened my eyes in the muddy water, and saw those blue eyes staring back at me. Our faces almost touched and I could still see that twinkle in his eyes. I noticed that my hands were around his neck and his arms were embracing my torso. It was almost as we were lovers, hugging under the water. I blushed at this thought and stared at his lips. They were fully and red. All I had to do was to move a few inches and then- no. No, I wouldn't. I didn't know why I was even having these thoughts.

It must have been curiosity, as I've never kissed someone before. Not because I was ugly – I knew I wasn't, many girls had asked me out the last couple of years, telling me how beautiful and intelligent I was – I just hadn't had the time. I had studied so much of Dark Magic under the years at Durmstrang, listening on every class and spending all the time I had in the library or out training spells in the courtyard and on some first years.

Albus closed his eyes and I thought he was enjoying having his arms around me, until I saw small bubbles leave his lips. I panicked and tried to swim up but something stopped me. One of Albus' feet had fastened between two rocks. My lungs were almost empty of air, but I dove down anyway, dragging Albus' foot away from their hold. My fingers fumbled for something to take a grip on, but all I got was wet and slippery skin. Finally though, I felt fabric and dragged myself up, Albus by my side. We had been bathing where it was much deeper, and it was one or two metres before we reached the surface.

I lay him down on the grass, panting. He coughed a little before opening his eyes and started staring at me, his sparkling blue eyes meeting my dark ones, like they were meant to be.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know that would happen..." I said.

He just smiled. I offered him a hand to help him up, but he was soon on his feet all by himself.

"It's okay."

I didn't like the way he said that. It was like he knew something that I didn't, and that smug and suspicious face he was wearing wasn't making is any better. His blue eyes winked at me and I tried to smile back as we headed back to our houses.

* * *

"Gellert, you never told me exactly _how_ we're going to take over the world." Albus said to me, as I lay on his bed. Albus himself was lying on the floor, the sun glittering in his face as it shined through the window into his room. I had my hands behind my head, and was staring up the ceiling. I smirked even though I knew Albus couldn't see.

"The Deathly Hallows of course." I said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"The deathly what?" Albus had sat up on the floor, looking puzzled.

"You haven't heard the Tale of The Three Brothers?" Albus shook his head and I started telling him the story, making it as exciting as I could. After all, this was the children-version. After I finished Albus looked confused.

"So?" he said, and I rolled my eyes. People these days.

"So, they're the Deathly Hallows. The Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand. With them in your ownership you'll become the Master of Death."

"But I thought this was just a story for children? You don't _actually _believe it's true, right? I mean, Death? Come on."

"Very few wizards know that they really do exist, but it's true. The thing with Death isn't true; the truth is that the brothers were very powerful wizards." I had lowered my voice into a whisper without knowing why. "And they say that Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers, is buried here in Godric's Hollow."

Albus smirked.

"So that's your so called 'business', huh?" I nodded.

"Ignotus was the owner of the Cloak of Invisibility, Cadmus of the Stone, and Antioch of the Wand. So all we have to do is to get them!" I said and Albus laughed.

"You make it sound so easy. Do you have any idea where they are?"

"No, I don't. That's why I'm here. I'm going to search for them, and I know this village is the place for that. Are you with me or not?" I sat up on the bed and stared into Albus' twinkling eyes.

"Of course. Let's search for the grave tomorrow, and then decide what to do from there." he said and I smiled. Everything was going incredibly well. Albus stood up and sat beside me on the bed, so close that I could see the small freckles on his nose. We sat there in silence for a while, me looking at the sky outside the big window, and him staring out into space, though I noticed that he peered at me once in a while. After minutes though, I decided to break the silence.

"Albus, think about all the things that we could do. Everyone and everything that you've disliked is going to vanish. All our dreams will come true. We'll be the Masters of Death, people will kneel before us. The Muggles out there will have no chance against us! Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore; two men destroying every little piece of weakness."

His sparkling blue eyes twinkled even more as I spoke.

* * *

I was sat on my windowsill in the middle of the night, looking up at the stars, when a large brown owl landed beside me. A small letter was tied to its leg; I took it and noticed the owl didn't leave.

Gellert,

_Tell me more about our bright future._

_Albus_

I smiled and picked up some parchment and a quill.

_Albus,_

_We will be Gods, ruling over the world just like God is ruling over us. We will take what's left of this world and save it, we will be heroes. The Muggles will pray to us at night, and the wizards will do anything for us. We will make Death look like a joke. You and me, Albus, immortals. Imagine what we could do! Have you ever wished for something that you couldn't achieve? Well, not ever again. Never ever._

The owl took it and flew away. I watched as the beautiful wings gracefully swept through the night, the dull light from the street lighting making it look like a black shadow. The ground was wet due to the rain, and I could hear a cat creep into the garden. The owl came back.

_We will need to hurt the Muggles, don't we?_

So he still had a conscience. Some say that is a good thing, but if you ask me, it's anything but good. I had to take it away.

_Yes, but don't you see it's necessary?_

I didn't have to wait long for the reply.

_Maybe it is. It's for the Greater Good, right? _

I smirked. He had finally got the point. _For the Greater Good._ Fantastic.

_Albus, what would the world be without some sacrifices? _

It took a long time for an answer this time.

_Nothing._


	4. The Stone

_A/N: Woop woop! Earlier chapter! :D That's pretty cool. And this chapter will contain **slash** just so you know, even if it's just a little. Once again, thanks Emelle, for being my beta! :D _

_And congratulations to my dear cousin Emma, who finally have gotten an account here on ff after years of reading!  
_

**_The Stone_**

"Here, I found it! No, it wasn't that one…Here! No, false alarm again..."

I could hear Gellert yelling from the other side of the graveyard. Even though I had been here thousands of times, I had never seen the tombstone of Ignotus Peverell. Gellert was running around like a madman, glancing hastily at the stones, while I was examining all the old ones with moss on. I could barely see the small letters that were embossed into the stonework.

"Albus! I think I- no. It was nothing, sorry." I chuckled at Gellert's excitement. I had soon investigated the half graveyard, while Gellert had been running it through five times. I sat down on my knees in front of a stone, carefully brushing away the dirt covering the name.

_Evan Goodrich _

_1586 – 1625_

Nope, not that one. I brushed down my trousers and sat down by the next one. I couldn't really see all the letters, but I could see that it started with an F and then an A. So it wasn't that one either. A few of the stones were so old that they were _broken_, but some of them were new, and bright white in colour. I went on to the stones in the row, until there were only two left. That was where I found it.

_Ignotus Peverell_

But instead of the dates of birth and death, there was a mark: a triangle; a vertical line inside the triangle; and a circle in the middle. I shrugged.

"Hey Gellert," Gellert's head immediately snapped up on the other side of the hedge that was cutting off the rows of tombstones. "I've found it." Gellert was at my side the next second, panting from all the running. He stared wide-eyed at the stone and fell down on his knees in front of it. His long fingers stroked the name carefully. I didn't like that spark he had in his eyes just then. It was pure madness. His eyes didn't seem to want to look away, even after minutes of staring.

"Gellert?" I asked uncertainly, tapping him gently on his back.

He didn't answer, his eyes still transfixed upon the letters before him.

"Gellert?" I had lowered my voice to a whisper as Gellert's eyes were practically glowing with an obsessive insanity. Both his hands were on the stone, the fingertips touching every inch of it.

"Gellert!" I tried again and finally Gellert looked up at me. His eyes were still shining, making the dark blue colour look both beautiful and dangerous. His expression was blank. "Gellert, are you all right?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" No emotions in the voice.

"You were… I just thought that… you looked…" my voice dimmed into nothing out since I couldn't think of a sentence that didn't sound bizarre. Gellert looked puzzled and I just shrugged. I could always ask about it later.

* * *

_Our place in ten minutes?_

Since when did the river become 'our place'? Though I had to admit, I felt warm whenever Gellert said "us" instead of "you and I". And this thing with "our" was certainly something I could get used to. I scratched down a 'yes' before going downstairs to tell Aberforth where I was going. He and Ariana were playing wizarding chess in the living room. Ariana won as always. Aberforth glared at me when I told him where I was going, but I just shrugged. Ariana smiled at me and asked who Gellert was.

"I'll tell you when I come back" I said and winked at her before leaving the room.

When I came to the river, Gellert was already there. He was lying on the grass with closed eyes, just like I had been doing the day we met. That seemed like ages ago, though it only had been days. There was something about Gellert that made time and space seem unnecessary. Not to mention the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach every time he smiled at me. Yes, I was slowly developing a crush on the boy. I should have seen it coming when he sat down beside me on grass for the first time, but I think I really noticed when we were under water and had our arms around each other. I think that he liked me too, actually; I had seen him look at my lips with lust in his eyes.

"Hey!" Gellert jumped and glared at me.

"Don't scare me like that!" he said and brushed some invisible dirt off his trousers to cover the fact that he was blushing.

"Payback," I said and smirked. I looked up at the sky and noticed rain was underway, dark clouds approaching. The air was still warm though, but that could have meant that there was thunder hiding in those thick clouds.

"Tell me about Ariana" Gellert said suddenly and I was startled. What was I supposed to say? "Who is she? Your lover?" I couldn't help that my heart was beating faster at the sound of jealousy in his voice. "Are you going to marry her? Was that the reason you and your brother fought? Because he doesn't want you to get married? Do you love her?" I still had nothing to say.

I couldn't come up with a lie, no, not with those eyes piercing right through me.

"I.. err.. She's my..." I closed my eyes. "She's my sister." Well, it was going to come out sooner or later.

"Oh..." Gellert said and tried to sound casual but I could hear the happiness hiding in his voice. "But I thought you only had a brother?"

"That's the reason my father got in prison. Ariana was very young and couldn't control her magic, so one day she was out playing in the garden, her magic shining around her, when three Muggle-boys attacked her and wanted her to do more magic tricks. Obviously, she couldn't do them and the boys got aggressive. My father went after them but got put into prison for it, since he refused to tell why he did it. Everyone thought he was a Muggle-hater. After that she refused to use magic at all, though sometimes she gets outbreaks and can get really dangerous. The boys destroyed her. No one knows about her except me, Aberforth and Mrs Bagshot."

Gellert's mouth formed a wide 'O'.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that." he said with sadness in his voice.

"Of course, you couldn't have done." I said and smiled. We stared at the water for a while before Gellert stood up, a knife in his hands. I got scared. But instead of killing me, he headed for the closest tree in the glade. He sat down on his knees in front of it and started carving something into the wood. I was confused and went closer to see what he was doing. When I sat down beside him, he had a satisfied expression on his face. I stared at tree and saw the same symbol as the one on Ignotus' grave. The triangle, the line and the circle. I was even more confused now.

"What does that mean?" I asked Gellert as he sat down beside me, leaning against the tree trunk.

"That, my friend, is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows!" he said with triumph in his voice.

* * *

We were walking back to civilization when Gellert took a grip around my wrist and dragged me away.

"Let's go to the graveyard!" he blurted and I frowned.

"Why?"

"I want to see the stone." I knew he said _want,_ but as his voice sounded, it sounded much more like he _needed_ to see it. I let my legs be led away, but I was too busy to notice – busy trying not to giggle as Gellert's hand was still around my wrist. If he – or anyone else – had seen my expression in that moment, they would have laughed. I tried not to smile like an idiot, but unfortunately, my body wasn't obeying with my mind.

Gellert let my hand go though, as we both sat down in front of the stone, Gellert's finger once against stroking the shiny plane of the dark marble stone. I closed my eyes so that I wouldn't see the insanity dominating those dark blue irises. A small whiff touched my cheek. After a while, everything was quiet. I opened my eyes, only to find that I sat alone on the soft grass.

"Hey Al! This one's got your name on it!" I froze as Gellert's voice echoed through the graveyard. I was quickly up on my feet, already heeding for the place where Gellert were standing.

Indeed, there my name was.

_Kendra Dumbledore_

†_1899_

_Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

The dark granite-stone made the white squiggly letters look even brighter. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. Gellert's sympathetic eyes met mine and I felt the urge to scream. I hadn't visited my mother's grave since we buried her. The quote was from the Muggle Bible, and I thought it would fit her. Aberforth visited there sometimes to change the flowers. Right now there were crimson roses lying down beside it.

I turned around from Gellert and picked up one of the roses. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought it smelled just like her. Roses and honey. I didn't even notice the salty liquid running down my cheeks until a hand wiped it away.

Gellert smiled sadly at me.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said and a raindrop fell on my nose, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

I looked into Gellert's eyes as the raindrops got heavier, and started streaming down from the dark sky. A light thunder could be heard not so far away. His hair and clothes were soaked, but he still looked beautiful. I wanted to touch his wet blonde locks, but I knew I couldn't. Two strong arms surrounded my torso and I fell into Gellert's warm embrace. He was one inch taller then me, but I could still put my arms around his shoulders. I buried my face in his chest and let the sobs leave my throat.

Gellert stroke the back on my head, his fingers laced together with my hair. I smiled as I cried. He smelled like peppermint, combined with coconut.

I stepped even closer, our bodies so close and tight that nothing could have torn us apart. The substantial rain drowned most of the words, but I could guess what Gellert whispered to me.

"It will be all right, Albus. I'll bet she was a fine woman."

Now I wasn't crying because of the loss of my mother, I was crying because I couldn't have Gellert. I was in his embrace, as a friend, and he would never feel the same towards me. But still, I couldn't resist thinking that he could like me; maybe even love me, too. I whimpered as Gellert loosened his grip around me and took a step back.

Gellert seemed to notice the slip though, since he carefully put his finger under my jaw and turned my face to his. That bright smile was wonderful, even when his face was wet and sad. The blonde locks were hanging down and covered part of his eyes. There were dark green spots in his irises and his lashes were long and dark. His white and perfect teeth was barely showing anymore, since his expression had been changed from sad and comforting to utterly confused.

I had cupped his face with my hands and stepped closer, now I was just inches away from his lips. I could feel his warm breath on my face and the smell of coconut invaded my nose. I leaned in and carefully touched his lips with mine.

He didn't respond.

I thought this was my only chance, since he probably wouldn't want to be friends with me after this, so I slipped my tongue into his slightly open mouth. I explored his mouth fast and aggressive, my tongue sweeping over every inch of his mouth. He tasted like strawberries.

I sucked at his bottom lip and dragged him closer. My feet stepped into a pool of water on the grass, and I felt my shoes being drenched. My lungs were hurting from the lack of air and I pulled away. Afraid of seeing the horrified expression on Gellert's face, I quickly turned around and walked fast away.

He didn't grab my wrist. He didn't call my name. He didn't follow me. He didn't even send me an owl later, while I was back in my room.

Once again, I was alone.


	5. Brief Bliss

_A/N: Sorry for updating this late. Though maybe it isn't late in some countries. Anyway, I totally didn't got the whole bicycle-thing either.. I saw a music video of a guy and a girl riding a bike and thought 'what the hell' and just wrote it. And I'm warning again, this chapter will contain **slash**, don't like, don't read. Many thanks to my cousin Emma for letting me borrow her computer while I'm with her in Stockholm, even though I'm reading weird bandslash on it. I also want to thank arwenjanelilylyra for being my beta, love you! _

Brief Bliss

It took several minutes before my mind finally registered what just happened. Albus had kissed me. I put my fingers on my lips, like I could still feel the pink lips brush against my own. Realisation hit me as I stood there, soaking wet, in the graveyard. I blinked a few times to adjust to the reality, and spun around for Albus. He was nowhere to be seen. What if he didn't think that I liked it? Did I? Why should I even care?

I knew I had feelings for the boy, but that didn't mean they were _romantic_. My feet were standing in a pool of water on the grass, and I was shuddering from the cold. Still, I couldn't move. I tried to, but I couldn't.

This must mean Albus liked me, in _that _kind of way. Did I like him too? I didn't know. I honestly didn't know. Albus was… attractive, to say at least. I loved the way his blue eyes sparkled whenever he was happy, and how his maroon hair swayed in the wind. I even liked all the small brownish freckles that were all over his nose and speckled his cheeks. A light and warm feeling in my chest told me that I felt at least _something_ towards Albus. I had never felt like this in my entire life, but I liked it.

I had never loved anyone before, and had never really thought about me with another male. Just that one time under the water.

I smiled to myself as I remembered when I first met Albus. He was so beautiful, though I didn't realise it then.

* * *

I must have looked like a complete fool, standing there in the middle of the rain, my fingers still touching my smiling lips. I stepped out of the pool of water and started heading home.

* * *

"But Gellert darling, where have you been?" It had stopped raining, but I was still looking like I had been bathing with my clothes on. I shrugged at Bathilda and went upstairs for a warm shower. I took off my wet clothes and turned on the water. It took a while for the water to warm up, but as soon as it was, I stepped into it gratefully. The hot water burned my skin. I wanted it go quick, not only because the water would go cold again soon, no, because my heart was beating one word over and over again.

_Albus, Albus, Albus._

* * *

The curtains were covering Albus' window as I stood at his yard. It was already dark, Aunt Bathilda had made me eat dinner before I disappeared again, _"Gellert dear, you're a growing man and you need to eat!"_ I mentally rolled my eyes.

So, how did I get up there? There was a down-pipe hiding behind the giant plant that was reaching up the wall. Then I would have to jump a little to reach the window on the left side, but it was surely worth it.

My hands took a steady grip around the cold metal, and I placed my feet on a spike standing out on the bottom of the pipe. Then I started hauling myself up from the ground, and soon my arms and legs were aching from the physical strain. When my palms started bleeding, I thought about climbing down again, but then a name flashed through my mind.

_Albus._

I took an – if possible – even harder grip of the down-pipe and climbed faster, the burning pain in my palms getting harder. Finally though, I reached my destination. For one second, I thought the window was closed and I was about to scream in frustration, until I saw a small space between the wood and the glass. Carefully, I pushed the window open with my nails, and swung one leg inside. I was an inch from falling down on the ground when I jumped a little to get over my other leg to. Luck seemed to be with me that night.

The white curtains blinded me for a moment before I was on both my feet, my eyes scanning for a certain person. The room was dark, and it took time for my eyes to adjust. A small figure was laying on the bed, curled like a ball. I tiptoed forwards so that I wouldn't wake Albus. I knelt beside the bed.

His face looked peaceful as he lay there, but I could see from the lines on his cheeks that he had been crying. His skin was slightly sunburned, and I pulled a strand of his hair out of his eyes. My finger lightly caressed his cheeks, all the way from the eye to the lips. The lips that had been on mine not so long ago.

"Albus." I whispered, and the room was suddenly quieter than before. I could only hear my own heart pounding and Albus' breathing. The voice in my head saying Albus' name all over again was gone. Instead, bright blue eyes were piercing right through me.

I smiled.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to mock me for my feelings?" Albus' voice was harsh, and I couldn't help but feel a sting in my heart.

"No I- well, I came here to… you know, apologize." I had never been this insecure before, I was always the strong one, the confident one.

"What for?" Albus' voice was still suspicious.

"For not doing this earlier."

And then I kissed him.

Just like he had kissed me.

The only difference was that he actually _did _respond. His hands were in my hair and his tongue in my mouth. I took a grip on the back of his neck and dragger him closer. This though, didn't seem to be enough as he dragged me onto the bed. I pulled away from his lips and started tracing kisses down his jaw line. Albus moaned in response.

When air became necessary, I finally pulled away completely. Even though it was dark, I could still see that Albus' face was flushed, his lips swollen, and his hair out of place. Since I was practically sitting on him – straddling him, to be specific – I only needed to move my face a few inches and kiss him softly on the nose.

He smiled at the touch and caressed the back of my hair. I lay down beside him and he curled up in my embrace.

"Gellert, do you realize that no one can know about us?" Albus whispered to me and I nodded slowly.

"Not even your family." I said strictly but quietly. Albus snorted.

"If I told my brother he would stop talking to me, he doesn't even like you as my friend"

"And what about your sister?" Albus hesitated.

"I won't tell," he said and sighed. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of Albus. My beautiful Albus. He smelt of rain and tears. We lay in silence for a while, before Albus spoke again.

"How did you get in here anyway? I certainly don't believe that Aberforth would have let you in." he chuckled lightly and I smirked.

"You really want to know?" he nodded "I climbed up the pipe outside your window. Pretty nice, huh?" Albus started laughing before curling up even more in my arms.

* * *

"Where on Earth have you gotten that?" Albus blurted and stared at the half-rusty bicycle that I was sitting on. It was dark grey with a white saddle. We were currently standing in the edge of the forest so that only people visiting the graveyard – no one at the moment, that is – could see us. The heat had come back, quite the opposite of the rain yesterday.

"From Mrs. Andersson's house." I watched as Albus' mouth fell open.

"You _stole _it?" I smirked.

"Oh, she won't mind. That old bitch can barely walk, so how could she use a bicycle?" I said and Albus gasped. Maybe he wasn't used to this kind of words.

"_Bitch_?" He gasped again and I threw him a smug smile.

"Oh come on, don't tell me that you've never made such statements before." I rolled my eyes at Albus' behavior but couldn't stop thinking that it was adorable.

"Aren't you... don't you believe in God?" Albus whispered uncertainly and stepped closer so that I could hear. "You can't say such words." I rolled my eyes again and lowered my voice so that Albus' would have to step even closer, so close that we could touch.

"Well, I'm a male, and yesterday I kissed another male several times, so I think religion is out of bounds a long time ago." Albus started and opened his mouth lightly in surprise of my statement. I took the opportunity by taking the collar of his shirt and dragging him closer.

"Forbidden romance is so much more _fun._" I whispered in his ear and could feel the shivers running down Albus' spine. I nibbled his earlobe before kissing him on the lips. He froze.

"What if someone sees us? What if someone finds out?" he breathed while I was kissing his neck. I pulled away.

"That's what makes this more exciting, _isn't_ it?" I smirked and started biting gently on his lower lip. Albus' tried to push me away, his hands resisting against my chest, but without success. I was much stronger than him. He turned his head again and raised his voice.

"We are going to hell, Gellert. I know we will. The Devil will eat us alive when we die." I laughed at the paranoia in Albus' voice.

"But we're not going to die, Albus. As soon we have the Deathly Hallows, we will be immortal forever. Only Muggles goes to hell." I said and touched his lips with my finger, as if I could silent all the following protests. But none came. Not even a fraction of disbelief was visible in his expression. Instead, he kissed me lightly on the lips with a faint smile.

"Now, would you care for a ride, my love?" I said with a smug smile and gestured to the bicycle. Albus' eyes widened.

"On _this_?" he said unbelievingly.

"Yes of course. I was a real expert at giving people a ride when I was younger. Me and my mother and father were living on the country, and there were always people who needed to get somewhere fast. Here, let me show you." I showed him how to get up on the handle bar. He gingerly climbed up on the front wheel and put his hands on either handle. I put my hands onto his and started pushing the bicycle pedals slowly.

Albus was afraid at first, his hands having a hard grip around the handles, but after a while the grip faded and he was laughing. Even though I couldn't see all of him, I could still tell that he was utterly beautiful. His maroon hair was blowing in every angle, his blue eyes were so bright that they looked truly magical, and the smile of genuine happiness covering his face was heavenly.

I grinned.

Albus carefully stretched out his arms and closed his eyes. I took a light grip around his hips to stop him from falling off the bike. He opened his eyes again and I saw them flicker in panic. I watched the road again and silently cursed myself for not doing that earlier.

"Look out!" Albus' voice was completely terrified when the bike came closer to the wall of the church. I had barely time to jump off, dragging Albus with me, before the bicycle violently crashed into the white stone wall. We landed on the debris, my elbows smashing against the ground. I felt a stinging pain in both my knees and arms. Albus was laying a meter away from me, his face scratched and bleeding.

"_Albus._" I whispered and crawled to his side. "Albus, are you okay?" I asked before realising it was a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay! He didn't answer and I assumed he was unconscious until I tried to lift him up from the hard ground. A quiet groan escaped Albus' pink lips and I quickly put him down again. He groaned again, louder this time, and his left hand was waving frantically like it was searching for something.

"This is going to hurt, okay?" I prepared Albus before taking a steady grip around his neck and knees. I could see a tear fall from the closed eyes as I carried him back towards his house. I would have wiped it away if I had any hands left, so as soon as we came out of sight, I carefully kissed it away.

I didn't bother to knock as I pushed the back door open, placing Albus down on the slightly worn brown couch.

His face was covered in dirt and blood. I turned him around and found an at least inch long wound in the back of his head. I found paper and water in the bathroom, and I silently cleaned the wound before someone interrupted me.

"What in God's name do you think you're doing?"

Aberforth hissed between his gritted teeth. His face was red with anger and his fists were clenched. He moved slowly towards me, staring at me with pure hate in his blue eyes. Through the horrid expression though, I could still see the twinkle in his eyes, and I thought of Albus: which reminded me of the boy lying beside me.

"I'm cleaning his wound," I said shortly as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Aberforth's eyes flickered over at where Albus was laying, and then returned to glaring at me.

"What wound?" His thick voice was threatening, but I wasn't afraid. Why would I be afraid of a nonsensical and powerless boy?

"The wound on his head, you twit." I snapped and touched Albus' cheek. Aberforth's eyes widened in surprise.

"Get your hands off him!" Aberforth stumbled forward over the dark wooden floor, his fists raised. He looked like he was ready to kill. I held my expression blank though, waiting for the punch.

It hit my jaw and I fell backwards. Pain shot through my wrists as they took all my weight upon them. I was quickly up on my feet again and I was swinging my arms in Aberforth's direction. My fist connected with his nose, but before he could do anything, I hit him in the ribs. A groan of pain escaped the smaller boy's mouth as I hit him again. There was blood streaming down his nose and from the corner of his mouth. Aberforth bent down for a few seconds before glaring up at me. I had no time to react until he was on top me, head-butting me sharply.

The pain in my eye was barely noticeable as I was overwhelmed by rage. I took hold of his wrists and turned him around so that he was under me. Aberforth seemed to have the same idea, and took a hold of my neck instead. We turned around once again, and after a few seconds we were rolling around on the floor, unable to stop. Blood from Aberforth's face dripped onto my face and I could barely breathe as he jerked his knee into my stomach.

"What are you doing? Get off him! Now!" Both Aberforth and I froze at the sound of Albus' voice. Albus was standing up, looking furious. I smirked at Aberforth and gave him a _your-brother-likes-me-more-_look. Aberforth glared at me.

"I said, get off him. Don't make me hurt you." I waited for Aberforth to move, but when I turned to Albus, I saw that he was looking at me, not Aberforth, with hurt, anger and betrayal in his cold blue eyes.


	6. Repercussions and Reconciliations

_A/N: Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry. The first weeks I had way too much in school, and then I was having a massive writer's block. Forgive me and review, will ya? :) This chappie is for CartoonFan13 and 2lazy4U for getting me to pull out my head out of my arse and write something. Thanks. This also contains some bad language. I've been sitting way to much on LJ and reading Kradam-fanfiction, so suddenly I'm a pervert -.- _

_Many thanks to arwenjanelilylyra for betaing this and bearing my laughing fits when I wrote the "bad words", because yes, I'm childish and still laughs at words of "things". See? I can't even write them now without laughing my ass off._

**Repercussions and Reconciliations**

I glared at Gellert and tried to stay steady; which was hard since my head was hurting and throbbing; the room spinning a little. Gellert stared at me with shock in his eyes, though his face bore no expression. Aberforth rolled off him and groaned at his blood-covered face and the black-eye already forming there. I sent him a sympathetic look before stumbling forwards.

"How dare you?" I hissed, "He's my brother!"

I couldn't believe that Gellert had been punching Aberforth like that. I knew they didn't like each other, but this could have ended badly! I was just thankful that they'd used their hands instead of their wands.

"I thought you were better than this." I simply said before walking out of the room. I could hear Gellert call after me, but I was already washing my bloody hands under the sink. I took a wet towel, put it against my bleeding skull and tried to block out the sound of Aberforth preventing Gellert to come into the bathroom. I could hear screams of rage, furniture falling over, another fist against bone, a loud thump…and then nothing. Tears flooded down my cheeks as I thought of Gellert's betrayal. How could he do that? Didn't he realize that every punch that hit Aberforth, also hit me?

I loved my brother like nothing else. 'Family comes first', that's what my mother had taught me.

After a while, Aberforth came into the bathroom.

"He's gone now," he said, "and I don't think he's coming back." Aberforth's words sounded muffled due to his swollen lip. I nodded and returned to the cool towel to my throbbing head. I flinched as the fabric met my skin, gritting my teeth so that I wouldn't groan out loud. Aberforth silently left the room and finally I could give in to the urge to shake from my quiet sobs.

Small noises, somewhere far away but still so close, awoke me from my dreamless sleep. I had a terrible headache that was slowly slicing my mind apart. Then I remembered what happened. The bike accident. The fight. Gellert and Aberforth. _Gellert_. I groaned as I sat up. The distant 'picking' was becoming clearer and I could make finally out what it was: stones against the window pane. I walked up to the window, hiding slightly behind the white curtain.

It was dark outside, the only light coming from lonely lanterns. A boy was on his knees by the road, picking things up from the ground. Even in the dark, I could recognize those blond locks anywhere. Gellert suddenly stood up and I thought he was waving at me, until I heard the picking noise again. I quickly drew the curtains and stepped away from the window. The picking went on for a while, and then slowly died out. I let out a breath I didn't knew I was holding.

_Crack._

He was there_. In my room_. The blood that had previously covered his face was washed away; the only reminders of the fight were his cracked lip and a bruise above his eye. The dark blue eyes stared right into mine and he stepped forward. Gellert tried to take my hand, but I flinched and stepped back a pace.

"Albus," he said, "I'm sorry. I was wrong, but I'm worth another chance. Give me one." He didn't look like he was sorry, he looked more dangerous. Blond, dangerous and beautiful. I shook my head and closed my eyes. There was always the risk I would give in just by watching as his body moved closer to mine.

"I can't." I could feel Gellert's hand brush against mine and I tried not to shiver.

"Come on, Albus. I know you want to," he said and I could practically _hear_ the smirk. "Think about the power, the freedom," he paused, leaned in and whispered, "the _love._" My cock unfortunately chose this moment to respond violently at Gellert's hoarse voice. He leaned in further and captured my lips. Before I could push him away, I felt a hand putting pressure on my crotch and I whimpered slightly.

When I tried to struggle, Gellert pushed me violently against the wall. He seized my hands behind my back and crushed our mouths together. Our tongues fought fiercely while Gellert rubbed his leg against my groin. I couldn't hold it back any more. I pushed my hips forward and moaned at the friction. I backed as close to the wall I could, dragging him with me as our hands were still linked.

When Gellert's hands let go of mine and started unbuttoning my shirt, I realized what I was doing: where we were. Aberforth and Ariana were downstairs. Aberforth and Gellert had fought. I was supposed to be mad at Gellert, not make love to him! But when I felt hot hands finding their way into my pants, I gasped. Whoa. This was something else.

Gellert's hands gripped my hard on and I moaned out loud. My eyes sprang open and I used the little force I had in my arms to shove him away from me. He looked at me with surprise in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced with triumph. And that _smirk_. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

"Leave," I said simply and ignored that I was standing half-naked before him. I took a step closer to him and tensed my muscles in an attempt to look a little bit more dangerous than I actually was. It failed. Gellert was taller, stronger, bigger, and altogether deadly gorgeous with that smirk plastered on his face. I closed my eyes and reached for the wand on the bedside table. A hand seized my wrist.

"You don't want that, Albus," Gellert whispered, "You know you don't." I opened my eyes again and made my most – at least I hoped it was – threatening face.

"I do want you to leave, Gellert. Now let me go, and get the heck out of here." He released my wrist and took a step back, his smirk fading a little. Just before he was about to apparate, I glared at him and said, "And don't come back."

A loud _crack _resounded in my room for the second time that evening and I sighed. This was really going downwards.

* * *

The days went by as always. I cleaned the house, spent some time with Ariana, tried to avoid Aberforth's watching gaze to every price, worked on distant for the Ministry. I kept up the facade. Ignored the heart-broken feeling in my chest; forgot all about Gellert. Okay, the latter wasn't true. Gellert was in my mind both day and night. I wanted the owl picking at the window to be his _way _too much. Ariana seemed to notice something was wrong though.

"Albus?" she smiled, "tell me what's wrong."

I sighed.

"You wouldn't understand," I said and turned back to the dishes. I enchanted all the plates, with non-verbal spells, so they hovered in the air while the dish-brush cleaned them. Small bubbles of detergent filled the room and Ariana cracked one of them with her nail.  
"Test me," she winked and popped a few more bubbles. She giggled as one of the bubbles settled on her nose. I couldn't resist that smile and gave up.

"There's this boy…He's called Gellert. He is very…different. And, well, Ab is not such good friends with him. So they fought, and my _friend _hit your brother very hard, even though you brother just wanted to protect me." I gulped as the memories of the fight flooded back into my mind. "And he came here, but I told him to leave…and…well, I had thought he wouldn't give up that easily." I blurted out. Ariana just nodded and sat down on the couch. I mirrored her movements.

"I think you should give him another chance," Ariana said in her sweetest voice, "because if you like him, I think he deserves it." I laughed ironically. Like him? I loved him, though I wasn't about to tell Ariana that. She looked at me strangely before continuing. "I bet Ab just wants you to be happy, Albus, and if this _boy _makes you happy he'll be fine with it. If he doesn't feel that way right now, I will persuade him otherwise." She winked and I laughed.

Then I thought about her accentuation on the word 'boy' and I realized that she knew. I blushed. She winked at me mysteriously before walking out of the room.

* * *

The place at the river – the phrase our place came up in my head - was as beautiful as always. It was a warm day again, just like the day Gellert and I met for the first time. It seemed so long ago, though I knew it wasn't even two weeks. I was lying in grass again, though it wasn't as magical like before. There were bugs trying to bite me, the twitter of birds was gone, and the water wasn't splashing so nicely like it used to. And of course, worst of all, there was no Gellert.

I had expected him to be here. I really had. I felt my hopes of our reunion slowly die at the sight the glade that remained empty. When I got up to leave though, I went by the three with the Deathly Hallows-mark and noticed something was different. Under the mark, something else was carved in. I felt my knees buckle beneath me when I saw what it was and stroked the letters tenderly.

_A + G_

A smile covered spread across my face as I quickly stood up, ignoring how my black trousers were covered in dirt after kneeling, and ran through the forest. I ran by the graveyard, past the church, and through the streets. I stopped in front of the familiar house. My hand was shaking slightly as I knocked on the dark wooden door. The door opened.

"Hello Mrs Bagshot, err…is Gellert home?"

Bathilda smiled at me and took a step back while gesturing me to go upstairs. I smiled back before walking towards the stairs. I tried not to rush the last bit, and tried really hard not to push the door open stormily, but failed at both. It was a bright blue room, with a bed, a desk with a chair, a wardrobe, a bookcase and a big window that let light spill over the majority of the bed. And on the bed, with the sunlight splashing on him, was Gellert.

I was expecting a smirk or something familiar for giving up my pride and coming back to him, but all I met was coldly surprised eyes and gritted teeth.

"Gellert, I give you another chance," I said hastily, not wanting to be kicked out of the room or punched, "Please forgive me for asking you to leave. I'm sorry." I pouted with my bottom lip and did the best to flutter my eyelashes. Gellert just sat up, while the sun made his hair look golden. He stared right into my eyes.

"Do you promise to help me with the Muggles?"

I wasn't expecting that, but in my desperation I nodded fiercely. Then Gellert's face split into a dazzling smile and I was once again in contact with those pretty lips. His arms were around my waist and I slipped my tongue into his mouth, licking his cheeks from the inside before breaking away. Gellert had that glittering in his eyes again, and his sharp smile made me stagger.

"Now, Albus Dumbledore, we will conquer the world."


End file.
